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Former St. Matthias Priest Sentenced to Seven Years In State Prison For Theft

Fr. Douglas Haefner. (Photo: Marilyn Parente)

The former senior pastor at St. Matthias Church was sentenced to seven years in state prison on August 4 for stealing more than $500,000 from church coffers.

Fr. Douglas Haefner pleaded guilty to one count of 2nd Degree Theft in May for diverting $516,984.56 to his personal use.

Fr. Haefner must report to the Somerset County Jail, Somerville, on August 19 to be processed into the system, according to a press release from the Diocese of Metuchen.

Fr. Haefner disclosed his theft to Metuchen Bishop James F. Checchio in 2018, during which time he resigned as St. Matthias’ pastor.

The Diocese notified the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office, which then opened an investigation, according to the release.

“This is not an easy day for anyone,” Anthony P. Kearns III, Esq., spokesperson and chancellor of the Diocese of Metuchen, said in the release. “While we are grateful this matter has come to its conclusion and justice has been served, there are no winners in the outcome of this unfortunate case. We ask for your continued prayers for the parish community, the entire diocesan community, and for Fr. Haefner, who will serve out his sentence, carrying the heavy burden of his actions with him each day.”

The Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office has agreed not to object to an application for Intensive Supervised Parole, according to the release.

As part of the efforts that have been made to reinforce its fiscal procedures, the Diocese of Metuchen recently announced its partnership with NAVEX Global’s EthicsPoint, an independent third-party reporting system that will allow any person who suspects financial impropriety in the Diocese of Metuchen or in any of its parishes, schools or cemeteries, to file an anonymous and confidential report, according to the report.

Reports can be made by calling the hotline 844-796-1296 or can be filed directly through the independent website: diometuchen.ethicspoint.com, the link to which is also available on the diocese’s website: diometuchen.org, the release said.

Once a report is filed with EthicsPoint, either via the website or the toll-free phone number, the information is shared with an EthicsPoint communication specialist, who will then forward the report to the review committee, unless the report names someone on the committee, according to the release.

The new measure is in addition to those that were already in place, including the move to a more regular audit cycle by an independent auditor; the requirement for greater involvement by the laity in parish spending reviews; and the submission of additional annual reports to the diocese, the release said. In addition, the diocese also established a new parish financial services office to assist the 90 parishes in the diocese with their financial practices and compliance.

Bishop Checchio wrote letters to the overall Diocese, and also to the St. Matthias community.

In those letters, the Bishop wrote that “while I am of course disheartened, I am reminded and encouraged by all that has been done …”

“Our diocese has taken further steps to strengthen our financial transparency and fiscal accountability,” he wrote.

In a separate letter to his parish, St. Matthias’ pastor Fr. Abraham Orapankal asked that the parish show compassion for Fr. Haefner.

“In my first Sunday homily after taking over the stewardship of St. Matthias in November 2018, I had said this, referring to Fr. Doug: “No human being can be defined by one mistake – no matter how big it may be,” he wrote. “I wish to repeat the same now that he is sentenced. Even as we accept the legal system for justice, we need to be more conscious of God’s will for us at this time, the call to be compassionate in our judgments and to offer forgiveness. The sinfulness in all of us should make us say, “If not for the grace of God, there go I.” Are we humble enough to have this attitude?”

“On the other hand, this brings us all a sense of closure and we need to move forward in our healing and growth as a parish community that has gone through this awful crisis of betrayal of trust,” he wrote. “The way the investigation lingered for about three years has made the wound in our collective psyche take longer to heal. Now is the time for us to make a concerted effort to put this sad saga behind us and move forward with a renewed sense of hope for the revitalization of our parish.”

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